SmartCalc 300s manual

[hpnut]

Hi everyone,

I just got my HP SmartCalc 300s today.

going through the fine manual, I found this piece of gem:

"Handling Precautions
- Be sure to press the ON key before using the calculator for the first time."

my goodness, the quality level of HP manuals has gone down the drain, groan :-(

[Quan]

"Handling Precautions - Be sure to press the ON key before using the calculator for the first time."

Wait a second! (Checking the pdf file of CASIO fx-115ES User's Guide ...)

Holy cow! I knew it!

There it is! On page 6 is a verbatim.

So, it is a CASIO in an HP suite.

Edited: 22 June 2009, 11:26 a.m.

[bbeamer]

Aha! No wonder I have so many problems with my calculator!

Edited: 22 June 2009, 11:43 a.m.

[Jean-Michel]

Hi guys,

Keep in mind you live in a world where McDo has to mention nowadays that hot coffee... is hot!
Still have the impression they take us for dumb people, even if we all know the reasons that pushes every manufacturer to take all these incredible precautions.

Fortunately we can live at home aside from all of this with our good old calcs made in the 70's and 80's, and their manuals were such foolish sentences can not be seen!

Carpe diem, though...

[Tim Wessman]

Actually, it is a 3rd party unit repackaged into both CASIO and HP. HP's actually has more accuracy and is slightly faster though. . .

TW

[Quan]

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the info. Good to know.

It's only proven that it's not the real HP.

At least with the 35s/50g, HP calculator feels are still present even though they are now ALG/RPN dual mode.

I wish HP never sold these 3rd party calculators with HP name on them.

Regards,

Quan

[hpnut]

Quote:

---

Actually, it is a 3rd party unit repackaged into both CASIO and HP. HP's actually has more accuracy and is slightly faster though. . .

TW

---

Tim et al,

I feel disappointed (and cheated) that HP saw it fit to use a 3rd party calculator and stick the HP badge on it. The Casio fx-115ES has more calculation modes. For example, these are missing from the HP:

1. Complex numbers
2. Base-N
3. Equations
4. Matrix
5. Vectors

If you examine the HP SmartCalc 300s display carefully, you can find these annunciators CMPLX, MAT, VCT, these are dimmed and presumably disabled. Why did HP disable these functions in a scientific calculator?

I have been an HP calculator user since 1979 with the HP 41CX, and I am always excited by new calculators from HP. Are the days of HP innovations and quality over? They appear happy to repackage someone else's calculators, not even improving them and certainly in the case of the SmartCalc, even crippling them. I bought the SmartCalc because I thought that it had the potential to be an innovative calculator such as the HP 20b Business Consultant (its J-tag connector may open up new possibilities). Even the SmartCalc's chassis is similar to the HP 20b, which is by no means an ideal calculator (mushy keyboard comes to mind). I plan to write s strongly worded protest email to HP.

I hope other MOHPC members who bought this calculator also speak up of their experience, good or otherwise.

hpnut in Malaysia

Edited: 24 June 2009, 6:22 a.m.